TPACK, Journal Summary 10

Blended Learning Approach to Develop the Teachers’ TPACK

Arwa Ahmad Abdo Qasem

In his study entitled Blended Learning Approach to Develop the Teachers’ TPACK, Qasem stated that in lining to improvement in technology, the learning environment, content and integrating ICT into classroom teaching and learning has gradually changed as well and it is challenging for the teachers (Shafer, 2008; So & Kim, 2009). Along with digital technologies, technical competencies have also appeared. It is absolutely need knowledge and skill in order to using technologies which will provide comprehensive learning. Educational research studies show that program of professional development for teachers are most effective when directed towards the development of ICT (UNESCO,2002). But, developer community of online professional education face the significant challenges in organizing and maintaining the participants of virtual community which develop the sense of belonging, trust, and support which are prerequisites to learning in a community (Charalambror et al, 2004). To resolve the challenge, utilize blended approach to professional development is believed as the right solution. Recently, blended learning has attracted considerable attention in teaching training program. Blended learning it self means a combination of face-to-face experiences in which learners share online experiences, although not all learners at the same location (online learning) (Auston et al, 2008). To guide the research in the teachers’ use of ICT especially in blended learning, it is needed a theoretical framework and TPACK is the best framework. TPAC (Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) is the interplay of three primary forms of Content Knowledge (CK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), and Technological Knowledge (TK) (Koehler & Mishra, 2005). Based on the previous studies, the studies have yielded positive result in enhancing teachers capability to integrate ICT for instructional practice and discussed how TPACK can be used to guide educators’ effort in dealing with the challenges of teaching and learning through fourth by changing technologies rapidly.

To found out the data, the author applied quasi-experimental in nature wherein a pretest-posttest non-equivalent group design was employed. Involving 60 science teachers, 30 teachers were in experimental group (were trained for blended learning) and the others 30 teachers were in control group (were trained by traditional learning). Used knowledge scale based on TPACK to measure the teachers’ ICT knowledge and t-test to analyze the data. It can be concluded that TPACK had provided a valuable tool for assessing teachers’ knowledge in area of technology integration and also indicated that the experimental groups had more significant improvements than the control group, and both two group also had the ICT knowledge above average.